


Legitimacy

by InsaneTrollLogic



Series: CW Impulse Fic [3]
Category: Impulse (Comics), The Flash (Comics), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Asexual Character, Bart crashes the CW 'verse, Family, Gen, Kid Fic, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 17:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7472076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsaneTrollLogic/pseuds/InsaneTrollLogic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Possibly it would have been easier to tell Iris that Barry was adopting his grandson from the future if he’d managed to tell her he was the Flash first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Legitimacy

“Barry Allen,” Iris says, rounding on him. “You have been my best friend since we were kids. I know for a fact you didn’t lose your virginity until you were twenty-two, because you called me from your college dorm room and spent forty minutes telling me how weird it was. There is no way in hell, you managed to lie to me for more than a decade and create a twelve-year-old.”

Barry doesn’t trust himself to speak so he gives Iris a little half shrug. Bart had a birth certificate, carefully constructed medical records, a diagnosis for ADHD ( _completely_ _legitimate,_ Caitlin had said, _if maybe exacerbated by the speed force_ ), a school history, and even a passport. They’d been over the story hundreds of times in the past week. Barry had met Bart’s ‘mother’, Daria, on a school trip. She hadn’t told Barry about his son. After the particle accelerator exploded, between Barry’s coma and Daria’s death it had taken nearly a year for Child Protective Services to track down Barry and notify him about his son’s existence.

Daria’s parents had been dead since she went to college. She was an only child. Most of her school friends were from Coast City. Nobody in the area had any reason to question the story. Bart would hardly be the only child who lost a parent when the accelerator exploded.

Barry knows it’s a good story. If Bart can train himself into remembering the details, it’s damn near bulletproof. And just like that Barry has a kid in his care. A kid who is actually his grandson from the distant future in an alternate reality. He’s barely even surprised by the turns his life takes anymore.

He’s a little surprised he thought he could lie to Iris about this.

He lies about the Flash, sure, but this?

“Well,” she prompts. “Say something.”

“His name is Bart?” Barry says.

“Bart, as in Bartholomew?”

“Yeah.” Barry slouches a little. “He’s amazing.”

Iris sits down across from him. “Barry why wouldn’t you tell me? You know I wouldn’t judge you about something like this.”

“You know I’m awkward about the dating stuff, Iris,” Barry says.

“Oh, I know. Even Eddie noticed. You have absolutely zero game.”

The worst part is that Barry can’t even argue. He’s never been particularly interested in dating, but he’s always considered it mostly a side effect of his long-standing crush on Iris. In truth, he has no idea what he’s supposed to do if that crush ever were reciprocated. And the thought of meaningless sex with someone he barely knows turns his stomach.

But it’s the story that legitimizes Bart’s existence. And there’s no way he manages to hide someone like Bart.

“Okay,” Iris says after a long moment. “I’m pissed at you. I mean _beyond_ pissed. But it’s clearly not the kid’s fault and if you really did spawn, I definitely want a shot at being Aunt Iris. I mean without me, he’s doomed to total nerdom.”

Barry lets out a sigh of relief. Iris had been the one huge obstacle to this story. If he can get Iris to believe him, he has no reason to worry about anyone else. The guys at the station will probably just clap him on the back and say they had no idea he was a player. Cisco, Caitlin and Wells probably know the cover story better than he does and Joe, well, Joe wants Iris in the dark about the Flash.

“C’mon, Barry, you’re introducing me to your illegitimate love child in the next hour or I’m never going to speak to you again.”

“Right.” Barry smiles almost against his will. Bart is exhausting in a lot of ways, but if anyone can keep up with him, it’s Iris. “He’s at STAR labs. Now’s as good a time as any.”

* * *

They arrive to distant crashes and Cisco shouting. Iris winces at the racket. “That’s never something you want to hear at STAR labs.”

“You know it wasn’t anyone’s fault,” Barry says. “And I’m pretty sure the particle accelerator isn’t a mistake you make twice.”

“Last time something went wrong here, you were in a coma for almost a year.”

“And Bart’s mom died,” Barry adds.

At the mention of Bart’s mother, Iris scowls. Barry keeps his face as blank as he can manage as he says, “Speaking of the kid, let me go save Cisco from babysitting duty.”

He walks into the hallway, pausing for a moment to lean against the wall. He considers for a brief, wild moment, telling her everything.

But while she might believe he was the Flash, explaining that his grandson from an alternate future traveled back to the past for help with accelerated aging issue might be harder to swallow. He follows the corridor to Cisco’s lab only to have a brownish blur whiz by in front of him. Barry slips unconsciously up to speed and snags the back of Bart’s shirt.

Bart’s flailing limbs thrash for a moment until he catches sight of who has him. “Grampa!”

“Been over this, Bart, remember the story.”

Bart wrinkles his nose. “Istilldon’tseewhywe _need_ astory.”

“You know Grampa could work,” Cisco calls. “We could just tell everyone when he met you, you were wearing a sweater vest.”

“Dude, not cool.”

“Don’t play like you don’t have a sweater vest, Barry. I’ve seen you rocking the sweater vest.”

“What’sasweatervest?” Bart asks, frowning.

“I’ll explain it later if you remember to ask,” Barry promises, “but right now, you have to remember your cover story. Which means normal speed.”

“Istilldon’tseewhyIneedasecretidentity. I’mfastandthat’sawesome.”

“Too many supervillains around to advertise knowledge of the future.” Cisco handed him one of his spare lollypops. “We’ll have a movie night and then you’ll see. Or we’ll just watch some of your Grampa’s old news reels.”

“No way, Cisco. You definitely don’t get to start calling me Grampa. I’ll tell Caitlin what really happened to her purse last week.”

Cisco scowls. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, just try me, dude.”

Barry crouches down in front of Bart who does him the favor of looking him in the eyes. From experience, Barry knows he has about ten seconds before Bart’s attention wanders. “Bart, the reason I need you to remember that story is that I brought a friend I really want you to meet. Her name is Iris.”

“GrandmaIris!” Bart lets out a whoop and runs from the room.

Cisco laughs. “Oh man, that secret of identity of yours has a shelf-life of like twenty seconds, tops.”

“Joe’s going to kill me,” Barry moans.

* * *

Barry only barely restrains from blurring back into the room at super speed. Bart has his arms wrapped around Iris’s waist, his chin tilted up to look at her. “Youdidn’ttellmeGrandmaIriswashere.”

He has to bite his lips to keep the already habitual chastisement, _slower,_ away. Maybe Bart’s moving too fast for Iris to understand him.

Iris’s mouth is slightly agape, her hands held awkwardly on either side.

“Okay, kid,” Barry says. “I think proper introductions are in order. Iris, this is Bart.” He fumbles on the next part. “My son.”

“And I already know who you are!” And, oh no, this is not the time Barry wants Bart to slow down. “You’re Grandma Iris!”

“Um…” Iris says.

Barry facepalms. Hard. “Bart, we talked about this.”

“YeahbutthisisGrandmaIris,right?” He zips away from Iris to stand in front of Barry. “Idon’tneedsecretidentitiesfromfamily. That’soneoftherules.”

“Did he just…?” Iris points a finger. “I mean that was as fast as…”

“I’mnotasfastastheFlash,Grandma,” Bart says. “AndCiscosaysmynameisImpulse.”

“No,” Barry says. “Your name is not Impulse. You definitely do not get a name. No way.”

“He looks just like you,” Iris says in wonder. “Barry why do you have a miniature version of the Flash stashed in STAR labs? Or… wait, is the Flash a kid? Is the Flash _your_ kid? He can’t be a kid. I…”

“Grandma Iris doesn’t know you’re the Flash?” Bart says, words coming at a normal pace in his obvious surprise.

“Bart, it was a secret.”

“Yeah, but this is Grandma Iris!”

“I don’t really know where to start,” Iris says. “But I think I might go with _Grandma Iris_? Is baby Flash here from the future?”

“Technically, yes,” Barry says. “And please don’t give him ideas.”

Bart dashes out of the room only to return seconds later in his suit. Only it’s not the suit he came in. This one fits him better, has a slightly different texture and pushed up against his hairline is a pair of yellow goggles and… oh yeah, Barry’s going to kill Cisco for this.

“Ideas about what?” Iris snaps, “Following in your footsteps? Barry, what the _hell?_ ”

“If it helps, we’re like ninety-nine percent sure he’s from an alternate future.”

“No it does not help! Barry, why didn’t you tell me you’re the Flash?” She stops, the anger flooding out of her features. “You used to tell me everything. What happened?”

“I wanted to tell you,” Barry pleads. “Iris, ever since I woke up, it was all I wanted to do, but Joe…”

And then the rage is back. “My _dad_ knew about this.”

* * *

Iris yells at him for another fifteen minutes and then stalks off.

Barry slumps at one of the monitors, trying to decide if it would be creepy to watch her leave on the STAR labs security feed.

Bart approaches. He’s changed back out of his suit, into a pair of STAR labs sweats several sizes too big from him. He puts his chin on the counter and gazes up at Barry through his bangs. “DidIjusterasemyownexistence?”

Barry laughs despite himself, wrapping the kid in a one-armed hug. “You seem like you’re doing a pretty good job existing. Remember, we talked about this. Alternate future. Not this future.”

“Right,that’swhyevilgrampaishelpingyou.” Bart swallows.

“Bart, remember slow—”

“Slowdown,right,normalspeed.” He leans into Barry’s side. “Grandma Iris has different hair. Her face looks the same, but everything else is different. I had a picture of you two from when you got married. You look different, too. My Grampa Barry had yellow hair.”

Barry tries not to think that lying to Iris might have changed his own future, might have cost him a different version of Bart. Not when he has this version tucked into his side. “I don’t think I’d look good as a blond.” Barry forces his voice to an even keel. “And hey, it sounds like you look more like me than him.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t remember the story.” Bart frowns. “I really didn’t think it counted when it was Grandma Iris.”

“It’s okay, kiddo.” Barry ruffles his hair. “She wasn’t mad about you. But maybe you want to stop calling Iris ‘Grandma’. She’s dating someone else. His name is Eddie. He’s a really great guy.”

That Barry absolutely doesn’t fantasize about throwing out of a moving car.

At least not anymore.

“Okay.” Bart chews on his lip. “If she’s not Grandma Iris, then it really _isn’t_ the same here.”

Can’t be. In Bart’s world, someone named Wally West is the Flash. That means that either Barry never got struck by lightning or… that something horrible had happened to him. Maybe it’s not a bad thing there are more points of divergence.

“That just means you get to be surprised,” Barry says finally. “I don’t think I’d ever want to know the future. Even if it meant knowing I’d get to meet you again.”

“Then you can’t really be my Grampa.” Bart furrows his brow. “The story we made up says you’re my dad.”

“You don’t have to call me dad,” Barry says. “I know you had a dad. I don’t want to take his place.”

“I didn’t know him very well,” Bart says and that’s a whole other minefield Barry isn’t equipped to touch. “I could call you that, though. If you don’t mind.”

Barry is in so far over his head.

That doesn’t change his answer.

“I don’t mind at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Ace!Barry just kind of sneaked in there. Because it turns out every Barry Allen I write is Ace!Barry]
> 
> [Impulse fic is so much fun to write guys. Everyone should write Impulse fic with me.]


End file.
